Arredondo says Jeff Bauman is true hero

Reluctant to be considered a hero in the Boston Marathon bombings, Carlos Arredondo, most recognizable as the man with a cowboy hat who immediately started caring for the injured, returned to Boylston Street Thursday night.

A picture of Arredondo, 52, clearing the way for a wheelchair carrying Jeff Bauman, a bloodied man who lost both legs, is among the most poignant and disturbing of the aftermath of the terror attack.

Within moments of his quiet arrival on Boylston Street Thursday, passersby recognized Arredondo as "the guy with the cowboy hat" and rushed over to shake his hand and thank him, NewsCenter 5's Mary Saladna said.

"I just wanted to thank you," one woman said as she took his hand in hers.

She was not alone.

Some passersby paused to introduce themselves, some offered hugs and some offered their own stories from that afternoon. But everyone took a moment to thank him.

Arredondo maintains he is not a hero and Bauman, 27, is the true hero in that picture.

"He was hurt," he said. "He was in pain -- but he was willing to live."

Melida Arredondo said they had hardly been out of their Roslindale home since the bombing, so her husband had not expected the reception from strangers.

Bauman lost both legs in the blast. He was moved from Boston Medical Center to the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital nine days after the bombings.

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